Palaeoapterodytes ictus
Encyclopedia
Palaeoapterodytes ictus is an extinct species of penguin from the late Oligocene
or early Miocene
of Argentina, the only member of its genus. Its fossil remains, consisting of only of a severely worn proximal part of a humerus
, were found in the Patagonia Formation.
Ameghino named his genus Apterodytes (meaning "wingless diver", later emended to "ancient wingless diver" as the original name was preoccupied) because he mistakenly believed that this species lacked functional wings (the name is not to be confused with Aptenodytes
, the modern emperor and king penguins). In this he seemingly overlooked the effects of taphonomy
, and I will simply relay the summation of Lambrecht (1933), as translated from German by Simpson (1972):
Simpson (1972) concluded that the meagre remnant assigned to this genus was unidentifiable (though, contrary to Brodkorb (1963), it was evidently not a junior synonym of Palaeospheniscus
), and left Palaeoapterodytes to sink into nomen dubium status.
Oligocene
The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present . As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...
or early Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
of Argentina, the only member of its genus. Its fossil remains, consisting of only of a severely worn proximal part of a humerus
Humerus
The humerus is a long bone in the arm or forelimb that runs from the shoulder to the elbow....
, were found in the Patagonia Formation.
Ameghino named his genus Apterodytes (meaning "wingless diver", later emended to "ancient wingless diver" as the original name was preoccupied) because he mistakenly believed that this species lacked functional wings (the name is not to be confused with Aptenodytes
Aptenodytes
The genus Aptenodytes contains two extant species of penguins collectively known as "the great penguins".-Taxonomy:...
, the modern emperor and king penguins). In this he seemingly overlooked the effects of taphonomy
Taphonomy
Taphonomy is the study of decaying organisms over time and how they become fossilized . The term taphonomy was introduced to paleontology in 1940 by Russian scientist Ivan Efremov to describe the study of the transition of remains, parts, or products of organisms, from the biosphere, to the...
, and I will simply relay the summation of Lambrecht (1933), as translated from German by Simpson (1972):
- "Ameghino believed that the humerus of this form was atrophied in such a way that only the proximal half remained, the distal part of the bone being wholly lost. If this were the case,... it would be one of the most interesting examples of extreme reversion of the capacity of flight, especially as the presumed atrophy affected only the distal part of the humerus while the proximal continued to be rather strongly developed. According to the illustration, the humerus seems merely to be weathered and the distal half simply broken off."
Simpson (1972) concluded that the meagre remnant assigned to this genus was unidentifiable (though, contrary to Brodkorb (1963), it was evidently not a junior synonym of Palaeospheniscus
Palaeospheniscus
Palaeospheniscus is an extinct genus of penguins which contains three species at present. They are all known from one or two handful of bones. All specimens were found in Santa Cruz and Chubut Provinces of Patagonia, Argentina...
), and left Palaeoapterodytes to sink into nomen dubium status.